Well, Latin and French both lead me to an idea. I suspect our Annabelle may have some terrier in her and I find that highly irritating. If no one else come up with it, I will share yesterday's experience with her as a clue.

Love the picture...and the movie!

Cynthia

Shoot Nancy, you've got me. Can I change a letter, if so will this do :).

{{gwi:607819}}

Annette

lol you two!! I'm afraid I forgot to put one clue in and inadvertently misdirected. The picture is to emphasize the 'mutt' value, and yeah, it's darn cute too. Certain types of growers, not really farmers, might use this word. Maybe that's a giveaway?? Certainly not as 'bloody' a question as yesterday.

Nancy.

I have a guess too. Mine has something to do with earthly delights for dogs.

ThinMan

Now you've got me going in a totally different direction, I'm thinking you and I both enjoy the finished product.

Annette

So, it is with a 'o' or an 'e'? Would be related, I suspect, but not exactly the same.

It is with an 'o', and yes, I do enjoy the 'fruit', as it were.

Nancy.

I'm not a dog person. All I know about terriers is they were a mixed breed (mutt) that was used to kill rats and badgers and that they were tenacious. They would dig into the ground to get their prey. Think the word is french but don't know the original meaning.

I was going in the dog direction. Terrior with an o ... I dunno.

TM

Remembering what Nancy was doing recently or about to do and I did last week got me thinking about this. Terrior/territory? Something to do with vineyards or am I out in left field again LOL.

Annette

It's a great field, Annette. But what does that mean???

Nancy.

Well, the clues have led me to wine (figuratively speaking malheureusement) and vinyards and must have to do with the land/soil, but how...? Thinking about all those descriptors of wine figure in this, but can't really come up with anything other than an earthy bouquet. I will continue to check back for more clues-ones that pretty much spell it out for me-ha!

Oh, and I was thinking of something to do with digging out the dirt-Annabelle dug out a huge (I do mean huge-at least three feet wide and on the hill it is two feet down) hole going after one of our voles or chipmunks I guess. To borrow a phrase, Nancy, grrrr.

Cynthia

Oh lordy, something to do with specific regions where particular grapes grow? Frantically clutching at straws but me thinks I'm sinking LOL.

Annette

Never drink good wine through a straw, Annette!! lol.

Nancy.

Ahhhh but! A frozen peach bellini swimming in sangria, YUM :) A

Now you're just being cruel - said she with a nice glass of chardonnay!!!

Jeez, you guys are no help at all. Guess I will stick with the earthy bouquet-unless Annette is right about it referring to the specific region. If she's right, then I agree with her! :)

Ahhh Cyn, but what is that earthy bouquet for?? What does it do???

Nancy.

I thought maybe that it was a Canadian spelling of terrier but from the clues I would say that terrior has to do with the geographic aspects (territory) that affect the wine's taste. Earthy bouquet, isn't that taste rather than aroma? This would be what sets wine grown in different regions of France and other wine growing areas apart. Pure guess since I am not a wine drinker either. My wine info comes from movies, reading, and listening to my wine drinking friends/family members.

Could terriors be miners or drillers? I know that I've heard the word in some old-time song. Something like drill, ye terriors drill, but it might have been terriers.

TM

Oops, just checked. It was Drill ye tarriers...

Oh well.

lol - sorry I'm late to the party today!!

A " terroir " is a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine.
Terroir (French pronunciation: [tear-war]) comes from the word terre "land". It was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place bestowed upon particular varieties. Agricultural sites in the same region share similar soil, weather conditions, and farming techniques, which all contribute to the unique qualities of the crop. It can be very loosely translated as "a sense of place," which is embodied in certain characteristic qualities, the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the production of the product. Terroir is often italicized in English writing to show that it is a French loanword. Long before the French, the winemaking regions of the ancient world already developed a concept of different regions having the potential to create very different and distinct wines, even from the same grapes. The Ancient Greeks would stamp amphorae with the seal of the region they came from and soon different regions established reputations based on the quality of their wines. For most of its history, Burgundy was cultivated by the literate and disciplined members of the Benedictine and Cistercian orders. With vast land holdings, the monks were able to conduct large scale observation of the influences that various parcels of land had on the wine it produced. Some legends have the monks going as far as "tasting" the soil. The concept of terroir exists in other drinks categories too, notably in Cognac, where the chalky soil, climate and distance from the Atlantic are all factors influencing the grapes, and in Armagnac and Absinthe. Many of the historically famous absinthes were originally produced in the foothills of the French/Swiss Alps where most of the plants used in absinthe grew well, and Pontarlier and Val-de-Travers are again centers for both the plants used in absinthe and for production. In the United States there is some confusion over the use of semi-generic names like Champagne and Port but in recent years there has been more effort by the American wine industry to recognize the unique association of place names with the wines produced in those places, such as the 2005 Napa Declaration on Place agreement. While appellation systems and the protected designations of origin can be a way of protecting "unique terroir", the commercial importance of terroir has been a much debated topic in the wine industry.

And you know, I could go on and on, and usually do, but will hold myself there!!!

Now as to terriers: A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, very active and fearless dogs. Terrier breeds vary greatly in size from just a couple of pounds to over 70 pounds and are usually categorized by size or function. There are five different groups with each group having several different breeds. Most terrier breeds were developed in Great Britain and Ireland. They were used to control rats, rabbits, and foxes both over and under the ground. Some larger terriers were also used to hunt badgers. In fact, the word terrier comes from the Middle French terre, derived from the Latin terra, meaning earth, same as terrior. Cause I knew you wanted to know!!!

Thanks for playing guys. That was fun, and I really thought I had screwed it up with the dog thing!!! Woo-hoo, who knew it was so close. Now to stars:
- for Cyn Annette and mnswgal.

Thanks for playing!!

OK, I'm confused. Was the question about terrior or terroir? Or do they both mean the same thing?

TM

Oh crap - defeated by my own spelling!!! There is no terrior, just terrier or terroir. I am so sorry TM - I completely sent you off in the wrong direction???

Nancy.

I seriously do not deserve stars! I was just trying to work the clues!

Very interesting. Love learning new things and especially something like this that few people know. Now, how to work it into a conversation... :)

m'gal, "Bouquet" refers to the scent that comes about through the aging process. It can also come from the actions of the vintner and can be manipulated through the use of different types of barrels, for example.

Well I was in the ballpark, not a home run but I think I stole a base or two :). Another fun weekend, thanks Cyn and Nancy.

Annette

Hey, don't worry about it Nancy. With me, one direction is just about as bad as another, and knowing it was terroir wouldn't have gotten me a bit closer to earning stars.

It was a great question. Thanks to you and Cynthia for the fun trivia this weekend.

TM

Thanks guys. I'll pay closer attention to my spelling in future!!

Nancy.